Dentist&#39;s chair



Sept. 25, 1951 w. B. CHILDS 2,568,988

DENTIST'S CHAIR Filed 001;. 2, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

viii/4445 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 2, 1950 INVENTOR.

wmm, 001%, @LU'MML 9 MTW Patented Sept. 1951 v "n N'ris'rs 01mm WyattBentley Childs, amie... Application oet ber 2, 1950," Serial No. 187,987

" 7Claims. (o1. 155 157) This invention relates to improvementsindentists chairs and has for an object the provision of a chair whichwill afford adequate support for the body in the various positionsassumed in the treatment of patients and in the manipulation of dentalequipment, thereby minimizing muscular strain. v 7 e The presentapplication is a continuation-inpart of my co-pending application, Ser.No. 45,-

270, filed August 20, 1948, now abandoned.

, to another by hand, which entails awkward,

cumbersome movements of the dentist while operating. In addition, thistype of rest stool does not provide any horizontal support to the backor body, while the operator, of necessity, must work in a leaning orstrained position.

Other efforts to solve these problems have not proved satisfactory.Equipment that is attached to the patients chair, as well as equipmentwhich is fastened or attached to the dental chair base, are extremelyinflexible and limit the range of operative procedures necessary in thedental operating room. As a result, dentists are forced to work in anabnormal postural position atthe dental chair, forcing the vitalabdominal organs into a cramped position, which in turn results [incirculatory disturbances, hypertension, car- I diovascular changes,sacroiliac strain, scoliosis or curvature of the spine, leg, ankle andfoot pains, impinged nerves, muscle strain, and other h complications.

It is therefore an object of the invention to I provide a dentists chairhavinga body rest sup- I ported on the chair for generally horizontalswinging movement, so that the rest may readily be positioned to engageand support the chair occupant at the back or at either' side. In thepreferred embodiment of the invention, the chair is provided with a seatof the saddle type, sup ported for rotation on the chair base about agenerally vertical axis, whereby with appropriate adjustment of therelative positions of the seat and the rest, the rest may be caused toengage Z and support the occupant at the front, aswell "as at theback orthe sides.

l "I 1.3, More specifically, it is an object of the invention to providea'dentists chair having a caster supportedbase, provided with an annularfoot rest, a seat support rotatably mounted on said base, a seatrotating with said support, and 'a body rest mounted on said seatsupport for horizontal swinging movement, the body rest having anarcuate configuration so'as to embrace partially the body of theoccupant, whereby support may be afforded in any direction-in which theoccupant leans.

Further objects and features of the invention will be apparent 'from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsin which Figure l is a side elevation of a dentists chair embodying theprinciples of the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the chair shown in Figure 1; I

Figure 3 is a horizontal'section on the line Figure 4 is a fragmentaryenlarged view, partly in section, of part of the structure shown inFigure 1; I

Figure 5 is a horizontal-section onthe lin 5--5 of Figure 4; Y i

ure3.

In order to facilitate an understanding of th invention, reference ismade to'the 'referredconstruction shown in detail in the drawings, andspecific language is employed to describe the same. ;It willnevertheless be understood that no limitation'of the scope of'theinvention is thereby intended, such modifications and alterations or theillustrated embodiment being contemplated as would normally occur tothose skilled in the art.

Referring first to Fig. I, it will be observed that the chair consistsessentiallyof' a pedestal ill, a seat I l and a body rest I2 the seat llbeing of the saddle type commonly used in cycle sad-- dles, and the bodyrest I2 being curved in a horizontal plane to partially embrace thebody. The pedestal is supported on the floor by 'aplurality of radiallyextending legs-l4 rigidtherewith, each leg being provided with'aconventional caster l5, mounted in the outer, downwardly-directedportion l3 of the leg. An-annular foot rest 5 preferably encircles' thepedestal base, being received in an -arcuate recess formed in the uppersurface of each leg l4 and being secured rigidly therein by a threadedelement l8. By means of this arrangement, the chair may readily bepropelled about the floor by the occupant to any convenient position,displacement of the chair by pushing with the feet being facilitated bythe shape of the seat, the horn portion of the seat extending betweenthe occupants legs. I

As hereinbefore eii'plained, the body "rest |2, and preferably the seatII, are supported on the pedestal It! for rotation about generallyvertical axes. The axes of pivotal movement of the seat and the bodyrest are adjacent and may-be:co-

incident, but are preferably slightly displaced laterally, asillustrated in the drawing. The word adjacent, as employed herein, is-used-to define either coincidence or ofis'et relation of the two axesas in the preferred and illustrated embodiment of the invention.

- -Thusfas shown'in Figure l'ofthedrawing'the seat may compriseasupportingmetal plate -20, curved as shown in 1 the drawing to:facilitate the :shaping of the seat proper-2|, which may :be formedofsuitable'padding covered byleather -=in"a' conventional manner, and is-carried-=ona iplate'n, shapedto conform to the central por- -tion'ofthe :plate and-bolted=theretoas-shown 'at fl. Tubular bosses-24 and-areunited'with -p1ate 22-to formtherewith an integral structure, forinstance by welding. Boss -24 is rotatably mounted on the pedestal 10 inmanner- -herein- 'afte'r mo'refully described,'-so as totpermit rotationofseat about a vertical-axis, -while-boss 25 serves as a mounting forthebody-rest --and "defines the vertical axis about which the rest maybe rotated'as hereinbefore mentioned.

For this latter purpose, a "spindle '2 I -.provided at its lower endwith a collar 28 is received'within and secured to boss 25 by aset-screw 29, and a bracket 32, integral with an arm '3l which aupportsthe body rest I2, is journalled -for =rota- 'tion on spindle-21'intermediate boss 25-and'collar 28, the arm 30 extending laterally andupwardly from its axis of rotation, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3.Arm 30 may be formed, throughout the majoriiportion F of its-length, of:metal tubing, welded or otherwise integrally secured adjacent itslower'end to the'bracket 32. Within-theup per end of arm 30 is receivedwith a sliding fita tubular spindle '36. -A collar 36 "embraces the arm30, being shrunk or otherwise secured ;on the upper end of the latter.*A set-screw 38, threaded within collar- 36, is arranged to engageselectively with'any one of a series of recesses -or indentations 39in'the-outer surface of spindle '35, whereby the spindle may be adjustedvertically with respect to arm -30 and retained in verticallyadjustedposition. In lieu of'recesses orindentations of thenature'shown, spindle may be provided with a series of spaoed'annulargrooves, whereby the body rest maybe -adjusted 'in a horizontal planeabout the axis defined by :the upper end of arm 30, although such rotaryadjustment of the rest is ordinarily not'necessary as Lucite, to giveto' thebody rest adequate depth and to improve the appearance thereofwithout unduly increasing its weight,-the member 4| being bolted orotherwise rigidly secured .to 'the base =-and support the 'operativeatthe back, one side, or

at the front, these several positions of the rest being indicated inFigure l of the drawing by the full and dotted line representations.Since thearm 30 is supported for pivotal movement on the seat, slightlyto the rear of the vertical air-isof the seat, this swinging movement ofthe rest-is limited only by engagement of the arm '30 with'the edge ofthe seat at either side of the latter.

The base In of the'chair may be formed as hereinbefore described, thelegs l4 merging'into a hub 44 whiohis apertured-at 41 to receive=asleeve 43 forming part of the pedestal on which the sleeve is'mounted.Received within the upper end-of the sleeve, and secured thereto'byset-screw 45, is the reduced end of an-annular element 46, whichreceives in turn the :reduced lower end of a further annular element 48,the dimensions being such that element 48 may rotate in element 46. 'Atitslower end, element 48 is threaded to receive -a nut 5| which bearsagainst a washer 52, whereby vertical displacement of element 48isprevented, and an-antifriction bearingBSQinterposed between the upperend of element 46 and the opposed annular shoulder presented by element'48 may be .pro-

vided to transmit the loadbetweenthe seat and the base.

A spindle 58 isreceived within-and'suitably secured to the seatboss 24,and projects downwardly through the pedestal structure just' described,being slidably received therein. At one side, the spindle 58 isrecessedto form a series .of ratchet teeth 59, and -a cooperating spring-"rtaine'd'in the elevated'position; lowering of 'the seat is readilyeffected by withdrawing thepawl6 It will thus be observed that intheillustrated embodiment of the invention, there is provideda seatstructure rotatable on the base of the chair about a generallyverticalaxis, and'a bo'dy re'st mounted for swinging movement on theseat structure, the body rest being located laterallyof "and remote from"the axis on which it lswings,

whereby the seat and body restmay 'rot'atetogether'on'thechair base, orthe body rest may be rotated through a'wide angle with respect'to theseat, so that the body rest may embr'acethe occupant at the back, ateither side, orat'the front, thebody being thus adequately supported inany direction in which the occupant "may lean. Furthermore, thestructure is such asto provide for vertical adjustment of the seat,independent vertical adjustment of the body rest, and

afoot rest so mounted on thebase as to'pr'event loosening ordisplacement.

The invention contemplates such-further addi- 40. The rest I2 -may,alternatively, comprise -76 tions and'alte'rations as wouldnormallyfocoiifto those skilled in the art to which it relates. Variousfeatures of the invention may be separately employed, and combinationsof these features, or of any of them, with known structures arecomprised within the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A dentists chair, comprising, in combination, a base, a seatstructure supported on said base for rotation about a generally verticalaxis, and a body rest supported on said seat structure, said restextending upwardly from said seat structure and including a bodyengaging portion, means mounting said body rest on said seat structurefor pivotal movement about a generally Vertical axis adjacent saidfirst-named axis, said body engaging portion being remote from the restaxis, whereby said body engaging portion may be swung through asubstantial arc to engage with either side or with the back of anoccupant of the chair without rotating said seat structure.

2. A dentists chair, comprising, in combination, a base, a saddle seatand a body rest supported on said base, said body rest extendingupwardly from said seat and including a horizontally curved bodyembracing portion, and means mounting said body rest for pivotalmovement about a generally vertical axis adjacent the central portion ofsaid seat, said body engaging portion being remote from said axis,whereby said body rest may be swung through a substantial arc to engagewith either side or with the back of an occupant of the chair, and meansmounting said seat for rotation on a generally vertical axis.

3. A dentists chair, comprising, in combination, a base, a seat supportmounted on said base for rotation about a generally vertical axis, aseat and a body rest carried on said support, said rest extendingupwardly from said seat and including a body engaging portion, and meansmounting said rest on said seat support for pivotal movement about agenerally vertical axis displaced laterally of but adjacent to saidfirst named axis, said body engaging portion being remote from the restaxis, whereby said body engaging portion may be swung through asubstantial arc to engage with either side or with the back of anoccupant of the chair without rotating said seat, and whereby said bodyengaging portion may be rotated with said seat about said first namedaxis.

4. A dentists chair, comprising, in combination, a base, a seat supportmounted on said base for rotation about a generally vertical axis, asaddle seat carried on and rotating with said support, and a body restcarried on said seat support, said rest extending outwardly of andupwardly from said seat and includin a body engaging portion of arcuateconfiguration in a horizontal plane, and means mounting said rest onsaid seat support for pivotal movement about a generally vertical axisdisplaced laterally of but adjacent to said first named axis, said bodyengaging portion being remote from the rest axis, whereby said bodyengaging portion may be swung through a substantial arc to engage witheither side or with the back of an occupant of the chair withoutrotating said seat, and whereby said body engaging portion may berotated with said seat about said first named axis.

5. A dentists chair, comprising, in combination, a base, a seat and abody rest supported on said base, means mounting said seat on said basefor vertical adjustment and rotation on a vertical axis with respect tosaid base, said body rest including an arm extending laterally andupwardly from the central portion of said seat, and a body engagingportion curved in a horizontal plane, said body engaging portion beingmounted on said arm for vertical adjustment with respect thereto, andmeans mounting said arm for pivotal movement about a generally verticalaxis offset from the axis of rotation of said seat, whereby said bodyengaging portion may be swung through a substantial arc to engage witheither side or with the back of an occupant of the chair.

6. A dentists chair, comprising, in combination, a base, a seatjournalled for rotation on said base about a vertical axis, and a bodyrest supported on said base, said body rest including an arm extendinglaterally and upwardly from the central portion of said seat, and a bodyengaging portion curved in a horizontal plane, said body engagingportion being mounted on said arm for vertical adjustment with respectthereto, means mounting said arm on and beneath said seat for pivotalmovement about a generally vertical axis adjacent the central portion ofsaid seat and on an axis displaced from the axis of said seat, wherebysaid body engaging portion may be swung through a substantial arc toengage with either side or with the back of an occupant of the chair.

'7. A dentists chair, comprising, in comb-ination, a base, a seatstructure supported on said base for rotation about a generally verticalaxis, and a body rest supported on said seat structure, said restextending upwardly from said seat structure and including a bodyengaging portion, means mounting said body rest on said seat structurefor pivotal movement about a generally vertical axis, whereby said bodyengaging portion may be swung through a substantial arc to engage witheither side or with the back of an occupant of the chair withoutrotating said seat structure, said base comprising a hub portion, aplurality of legs extending laterally from said hub portion, and anannular foot rest secured to said legs, said legs being recessed toreceive and partially embrace said foot rest.

WYATT BENTLEY CHILDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file oi"this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 527,056 Gilson Oct. 9, 1894566,382 Dow Aug. 25, 1896 1,322,551 Efaw Nov. 25, 1919 1,756,210 RaczApr. 29, 1930

